【推荐1】Antarctica

Weather

Antarctica lies in the most southern part of the world. It is the coldest area on Earth. There isn’t much rain, but there is a lot of snow and wind. The lowest temperature was on 21 July in 1983 at -89.2℃!

Population

Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time! The first people to stay there for a while were fishermen in 1786. Now there are about 5,000 scientists and researchers there in the summer.

History of exploration (探险)

During 1907—1909, British explorer Earnest Shackleton explored Antarctica on foot. In 1911, two explorers—a British man named Scott and a Norwegian named Amundsen raced 1, 400 kilometers to the South Pole (南极). Amundsen arrived first.

Animals and birds

There aren’t any large animals in Antarctica. Polar bears live at the North Pole. But there are a lot of penguins and seabirds. Every spring there are over 100 million seabirds in Antarctica.

1. According to paragraph 1, which one is right about the weather in Antarctica?

A．It is not cold at all.

B．There aren’t many rainy days there.

C．The lowest temperature was at -83.2℃.

D．It’s hard to see snowy and windy days there.

2. When did the first people stay there?

A．In 1983.

B．In 1786.

C．In 1909.

D．In 1907.

3. How did Scott and Amundsen get to Antarctica?

A．They got there by plane.	B．They drove there.
C．They ran there.	D．They got there by ship.

4. From the last paragraph, what can we infer?

A．It is difficult for large animals to live in Antarctica.

B．All the seabirds in the world are in Antarctica.

C．The weather in Antarctica is similar to that in North Pole.

D．Seabirds don’t like the weather in spring in Antarctica.

5. What can we know from the passage?

A．Antarctica is not as cold as North Pole.

B．Only a few people can live in Antarctica all the time.

C．Summer is friendlier than the other seasons to people in Antarctica.

D．Scott didn’t reach Antarctica at last.

【推荐2】Have you ever been to Lima? If not, let me introduce it to you.

Lima, the capital of Peru, is in the central coastal part of the country, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. With a population of more than 9 million, Lima is one of the largest cities and the only capital in South Lima has a long history. There are many museums, where you can learn how the ancient American Indians founded the Inca Empire and built Machu Picchu, a famous ancient city in the Andes Mountains. Visiting the historic center, a World Heritage Site, you may find you are communicating with both the past and the present.

Lima is also a place where you can find the lifestyles and fashions, created by its people and culture. You will see Peruvian clothes, dances, and taste their delicious foods and drinks. You can see buildings in different styles, and enjoy the fantastic sunset over the ancient ruins.

You may have heard “It never rains in Lima’. In fact, it is not as dry as it is said to be and it is warm all year round. Though it seldom rains in summer, it sometimes drizzles（下毛毛雨）on early winter mornings. The drizzle and the wet air “water” the ground, which makes the crops and the plants grow. Moreover, modern technology helps to bring water from the snow and ice on the top of the Andes (over 6,000 m high) for the city to use. People there never waste water.

Lima is such an amazing city that it is worth visiting. If you come, you will surely have a good time and learn a lot! Welcome to Lima!

1. According to the passage, Lima ________.

A．is in North America	B．is the largest city in South America
C．has a population of over 9 million	D．in the center of the Pacific Ocean

2. About how Lima gets water, which of the following is NOT right?

A．People in Lima never waste water.

B．The drizzles on summer mornings “water” the ground.

C．The wet air can provide water for the crops and plants.

D．The snow and ice turn into water for the city to use.

3. The article is written to ________.

A．tell people Lima is an interesting city	B．tell people Lima has a long history
C．ask people to visit Lima	D．ask people in Lima to value water

【推荐3】Facial recognition（脸部识别）cameras are everywhere, including in your smartphone. Many people use this technology to unlock their phones, open doors or pay quickly, but there is a problem—everyone is wearing masks. What a hassle!

Now, the companies have improved their technology. Facial recognition technology can now recognize（认出）people even if they are wearing a mask. Beijing-based tech company Hanwang has announced a software（软件）which can correctly recognize 95 percent of people wearing masks, Engineering Technology (E&T) reported. What’s the secret? It’s all about your eyes. Marios Savvides, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, US, studies facial recognition technology. “As we get older,” he said, “our faces change shape, but not the area around our eyes. It stays the same—even if we put on weight.”

Facial recognition software is about more than just unlocking your phone. It’s about public safety. For example, you don’t need to take an ID card, which can be lost or stolen. It also means that virus（病毒）isn’t spread by touching things. Touchless check has become very important because of COVID-19.

More than that, facial recognition can be used to fight against crime（犯罪）. Hanwang’s technology is used by police in the places like government buildings, subway stations and airports. Similar technology is used by the United States Air Force and other governments.

Huang talks about one big weakness of this technology. “It fails when people wear both a mask and sunglasses. In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost,” Huang said to E&T.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. What does the underlined word “hassle” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．habit

B．mistake

C．rule

D．trouble

2. The Facial recognition software mainly depends on ________ to know people wearing masks.

A．the voice	B．the eye area
C．the shape of faces	D．the facial expressions

3. According to the text, we can learn that facial recognition technology ________.

A．was invented by the company Hanwang

B．can’t work when your ID card is stolen

C．provides a better way for safety checking

D．has been widely used in American schools

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________.

A．the new technology still needs to be improved

B．the new technology can’t store key facial information

C．Huang Lei is worried about the new technology’s cost

D．the new technology doesn’t work if people wear sunglasses

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Prevent from Virus	B．Fight Against Crime
C．Unlocked with Faces	D．Recognized by Eyes

【推荐1】判断正误，正（A）误（B）。

What do you think our life will be like in 2050? Some friends are talking about it at a party. Here are their predictions.

Nick	I think there won’t be any TV channels (频道) in 2050. People will be able to choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program to the television. In 2050, we will be able to feel the things we see on TV with our hands.
Jenny	In 2050, there won’t be enough water. Some places will be drier and people will not be able to have enough food. There may be serious water shortage (缺乏).
Alan	Don’t be so pessimistic about that, Jenny! People will solve this problem. And I think there will be less water pollution. Water will be much cleaner than it is now.
Helen	I quite agree with Alan. And I believe in 2050 doctors will be able to help blind and deaf people see and hear again. All people will be healthy because they will take a kind of special medicine when they are born.

1. Nick thinks people will watch TV in a different way.
2. Jenny thinks there will be less water.
3. Alan quite agrees with Jenny about the life.
4. Alan thinks there will be more water pollution.
5. Helen thinks all people will be healthy.

【推荐2】New York is a very large city with 8 million people. How do so many people move on their way to work or school? In New York you can travel by subway, bus, taxi and private car.

The subway runs on. the railroad lines under the city. Travelling by subway is the fastest way to get around the city. The second way to travel around the city is by public bus. It is a slower way to travel. This is because the traffic is very heavy.

You can also travel around the city by taxi. This is very expensive, but the taxi will take you to the very place you want to. If traffic is heavy, the taxi will be slow, too.

During the mornings and afternoons, there is the “rush hour”. This is the time when the traffic is very heavy with people going to and from work. The last way to get around New York is using your own private car. It is inconvenient（不方便的）because you will perhaps be driving during the “rush hour”. The best time to travel around the city is from 9 am to 4 pm, because it isn’t the “rush hour”.

1. How many ways of travelling around the city are mentioned（提到）in the passage?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four                         .

D．Five

2. The fastest way to travel in New York is ________.

A．by public bus

B．by subway

C．by taxi

D．by private car

3. How about travelling by taxi?

A．It’s cheap, and the taxi will take people to the very place they want to.

B．It’s expensive and slow.

C．It’s expensive, but the taxi will take people to the very place they want to.

D．It’s cheap and fast.

4. From the passage we know that in New York ________.

A．there is no “rush hour” from 9 am to 4 pm	B．traffic is heavy at noon
C．most people have lunch at home	D．people go to work or school at 9 am

【推荐3】My name is Sam. I’m tall. I have a round face and small eyes. I have a good friend. His name is Tom. He is short. He has red hair and big eyes. His favourite doctor is Zhong Nanshan, and he thinks Zhong Nanshan is kind and great.

Our Chinese teacher is Miss Zhang. She is from Shanghai. She is 25 years old. She has long black hair. She is Tom’s favourite teacher.

1. Who has big eyes?

A．Sam.

B．Tom.

C．Zhong Nanshan.

D．Miss Zhang.

2. What is Zhong Nanshan?

A．A singer.

B．A doctor.

C．A player.

D．A teacher.

3. Where is Miss Zhang from?

A．China.

B．Canada.

C．England.

D．America.